Not another headache!!!!
Did you ever think it was related to your bite? If nothing seems to solve your headache problem, it may be a dental problem related to your bite. A bad bite can cause muscles in your head and neck to be under constant tension. Think about it…most people can find a relaxed position of their lower jaw as it relates to the upper jaw. This position is usually when your teeth and lips are slightly apart. But what happens when we close our teeth together? If the teeth are out of alignment, or in a bad position that causes constant tension in the muscles, it can be hard to relax the jaw and muscles that attach the jaw to the head and neck. Our teeth come together thousands of times a day…when we eat (every time we chew our teeth touch), when we swallow (most people bring their teeth together to do that), habitual clenchers have their teeth in constant contact during sleep and actually grind them with mor force than you possibly can while you are awake; as much as ten times the amount of force! The position of the teeth affect the position of the jaw, and in effect the tension on muscles.
Neuromuscular Dentistry is a scientific approach that uses computerized technology to read activity in the muscles related to the jaw and muscles that cause headaches (particularly the Anterior Temporalis Muscle- the mucles under your temples that you rub when you have a headache!) Dr. Tracey Hughes, cosmetic dentist Denver, had advanced training to use this equipment to find out non-invasively if your bite is causing your headaches. EMG, or electromyography, uses gel duotrodes connected to the computer to read the amount of activity in the muscles of the temples for example. Sort of like a scribble mark across the screen. The flatter the scribble, the less the activity, the calmer the muscles. If the scribble is very large across the screen, the greater the activity of the muscles which equals PAIN! Dr. Hughes compares these scribbles when you hold your jaw in a relaxed position (of course these scribbles should be very minimal) vs. when you lightly contact your teeth together. The way it should work, your muscles should not have to work hard when they relax or when you lightly touch your teeth together, however when you are biting or chewing, they should be able to squeeze tightly. If your scribble marks increase in intensity when you bring your jaw lightly closed, you have muscle tension that is highly likely causing your headaches.
Once this is determined, a TENS unit is used. This is a battery operated device, often used in chiropractic care, attaches gel myotrodes to your head and neck and acts like a massage to the muscles involved in jaw function. This massage allows Dr. Hughes to provide support and help to the muscles that cause headache pain. The TENS device increases blood flow to the muscles which brings Oxygen to the muscles (and other interesting biochemical interactions occur to reduce pain in the muscles) It also gets rid of waste from your muscles (like lactic acid, that’s what causes your muscles to be sore after you work out for the first time!) In doing these things your muscles become happy and relaxed. At this point, the scans are taken again to confirm muscle relaxation (remember, small scribbles in the computer screen)
Once the muscles are confirmed as being relaxed (again, in non-invasive treatments…nothing hurts during this entire process!) we can use the computer to find where your jaw is most relaxed, it’s usually when your teeth are apart, so we take an impression of this bite position. Once this bite record sets between your teeth, we take it out and send it to a laboratory along with models of your teeth. The lab can then create what’s called a Orthopedic repositioning appliance (orthotic for short!) The orthotic fits on your lower teeth, allows your teeth to function (again, chew…swallow, etc) in a position where your muscles are relaxed. And Poof! Your headache pain is gone.
Can you imagine how that would change your life? No longer being a chronic headache or migraine sufferer? No longer needing costly medications with not so desirable side effects? I remember my mom when I was a child would close all the drapes in her bedroom to make it very dark when she’d have a migraine. She’d be in bed all day long, sick…It was scary for me as a child. After all, mom is supposed to be a Super Hero right? She couldn’t even get out of bed. She would be nauseous and quite often have so much pain, she would get sick. I wish I could have helped her, but as a child, I just didn’t know what to do for her. Those days occured on a monthly basis.
The circle has come full turn for me now that I have completed my Neuromucular Dentistry training at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. With focus on the origin of migraine headaches coming from a bad bite, I want to make sure no one suffers needlessly with this- since so many people are “managing” headache problems and suffering with them when they simply don’t have to!
I hope this information was helpful and can help you or someone you know get rid of the PAIN!
Dr. Tracey Hughes, TMJ Denver
303 666 8820
Hello, You are absolutely true that sometimes the reason of your headache can be the Bite. A bad bite can cause muscles in your head and neck to be under constant tension. This can lead to your headaches, toothache even blood from your tooth. So be careful about this. Anyways, great write up. Thanks for sharing this post with the readers. keep it up.